A Conversation With: Virginia Barnes

Virginia A. “Ginger” Barnes joined USA as President and Chief Executive Officer in April. Barnes came to USA from The Boeing Company where she worked on a variety of programs with a diverse set of customers. Her experience includes Simulation and Training, the International Space Station, fighter and support programs, defense modernization and weapons. Customers included all defense services, NASA and many international agencies. In this first “Conversation With” Barnes, the USA Update asks her about her impressions of the company and her thoughts on the future.

UPDATE: First, welcome aboard. What is your impression of the USA team so far?

BARNES: The most striking thing about United Space Alliance so far is the pride and the passion of the people. I’ve learned that not only from being exposed to the USA team, but the talent of our people has been lauded by customers, suppliers, members of Congress and congressional staffers. Everywhere I go, when people find out I’m part of United Space Alliance, the first thing they tell me is “you’ve got a great team.”

UPDATE: Recently, it seems that many people have questioned USA’s ability to be successful in the future. Do you believe we can and will be a successful company?

BARNES: I am convinced USA has a future. I know that USA will be smaller than it is today. There’s nothing on the horizon that will supplant the Shuttle Program because there’s nothing that size that we see. We have talents that no one else in the world has, and we have a reputation that is stellar with our customers. I see that in the strengths and the capabilities of our people and also in our dedication to our customer. That’s something that can be parlayed into other industries, like Department of Defense work. I think there are some uses for our skills there.

We’ve already diversified into other businesses not just as a prime contractor to NASA, but also as subcontractors to some of the other space suppliers. We’ve gotten into other business pursuits with flight operations, with facilities support and management and with different areas within the space business. We’re not just Shuttle operations anymore.

Before I took this job, the biggest concern I had was with the viability of the business. I talked to the member companies. I talked to Dick Covey, whom I have the greatest respect for, and I got what I felt like was the ground truth. That truth was that USA is going to face some really hard times. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a lot smaller than it is today. And then the president’s recent proposal for the NASA budget added another dimension of uncertainty to our future. But all of the due diligence that I did made me a firm believer that USA has a viable future. I don’t know exactly what that looks like; I don’t know exactly how big it is. I think that our key – and my challenge – is to successfully lead this organization through the next year, the next two years and the next five years.

UPDATE: What do you see as our biggest challenges and opportunities?

BARNES: There are two categories. One is within our control, and one is outside of our control. The biggest thing outside of our control is what’s going on with the president’s budget, within the NASA leadership and within the Congress. I can tell you we’re trying to engage when and where we can, but that’s just not something we’ll have a great deal of power to influence.

Within our control, our sustained excellent performance is the most fundamental factor of our success going forward. We have that as a solid foundation as we go forward. We’ll build upon this primary strength for other business.

UPDATE: You attended President Obama’s Space Summit. What are your thoughts on NASA’s new direction and what it means to USA?

BARNES: It was great for the space community to have the president’s attention and to have him travel to KSC. The comments that he made about his endorsement of space were positive. He did offer more information about his budget, and there was some clarity given about Orion Lite and what he was looking for in a 21st-century launch complex. It also generated a lot of questions. Many of his remarks endorsed his approach to commercial space and to looking into deep space exploration. The question is what does that look like? Even though it provided some clarity, we need a lot more, and we need it sooner rather than later.

UPDATE: What would you like to say to USA employees right now?

BARNES: I’d like to say “great job!” The folks that I’ve been fortunate to meet already have just amazed me with their performance and with their focus on the task at hand. I know that everybody has in the back of their mind all the other issues that are going on behind them – the politics, what does that mean to the manifest and what does that mean to me. But you can’t tell it. They’re able to focus on what they do. They are such consummate professionals, and it makes me very, very proud to be part of this team.

UPDATE: Let’s take a little time to get to know you. You call yourself a “people zealot.” What do you mean by that?

BARNES: In my experience, people make things happen. People – if left to their own devices, given the resources and having the hurdles removed – can do great things that you never expected. I believe in people development. I believe in helping people achieve the most that they can so they don’t make the same mistakes I did, and I believe in providing opportunities where I can.

UPDATE: What is the most important professional lesson you’ve learned throughout your career?

BARNES: There are a lot of lessons I’ve learned in my almost 29 years of experience. One is to ask for help when you need it. Early in my career, it wasn’t popular to ask for help; it was a sign of weakness. I’ve been the most successful when there was an inclusive environment and people were asking for help. Asking for the help needed was a sign of strength and a sign of inclusion and teamwork. That’s been a big lesson, and I think it’s a best practice when you have a “help-needed” culture so that people know that it’s a safe haven to ask for help.

Another lesson is that the customer is key to everything we do. It’s important to know your customer – not just the acquisition customer in our business, but the end user and the requirements of everyone that’s in that food chain. It’s really important to know what drives them and how we can add value to what they need and how we can answer their needs.

 I’ve learned you can’t overdress and you can’t over communicate. Communication is essential to empowering employees – and that’s written and oral communications. Everything you say is an opportunity to be an ambassador for who you are and who the company is.

UPDATE: Let’s get to the really important details now. Chocolate or peanut butter?

BARNES: I am a self-professed chocoholic, but I can only indulge on special occasions.

UPDATE: Football or baseball?

BARNES: The University of Alabama football and Cardinals baseball, though I can be encouraged to be an Astros fan.

UPDATE: Dogs or cats?

BARNES: Dogs. I have two – my Schipperke, Lily, and my mutt, Krash.

UPDATE: Country or rock?

BARNES: Yes. Right now, Lyle Lovett is my favorite. I was a on a music cruise with him in February. John Hiatt was also on that cruise, and he’s a new favorite.

UPDATE: Red or blue?

BARNES: Red is my favorite color … except for financials.

UPDATE: Fruits or veggies?

BARNES: Both, unfortunately.

UPDATE: Caddy Shack or Casablanca?

BARNES: Major Payne.

UPDATE: Spiderman or Superman?

BARNES: Wonder Woman.

UPDATE: Boeing or Lockheed?

BARNES: Nice try.

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